When this appears in print, I will be thousands of miles away from my editor’s desk that sits right above the main entrance to Our Sunday Visitor, in Huntington, Ind., and that has been my happy place of occupation these past five years.

And I am unlikely to be at that desk again. For a variety of reasons and after a tough discernment process, I have accepted a top management position in a secular, non-publishing field, in Southern California.

In some ways, it is a return home. We were in Southern California before coming here, and my wife’s family remains there, as does a vast network of very good friends.

But in leaving here, we’ve discovered the depth of how much we’ve made this home, too. The parish six blocks from our house was one of the best I’ve ever experienced. The parish school provided an education and formation to our four children that exceeded our hopes. In the parish, school, neighborhood and other various networks of people we encountered, we put down roots and built bonds. Uprooting has been difficult. One consolation is that we know we’ll remain in touch with many of these friends, and some even have told us when we can expect a visit from them next year.

It is tough to leave Our Sunday Visitor. First, because I’ve been blessed to work with and also report to very talented, faith-filled, happy people — there aren’t many work environments like this!

Second, because I remain passionate about the mission of Our Sunday Visitor, and I am convinced that it has a very critical role to play in the life of the Church in the United States (and even further afield) at this time in history, just as it did when Father John Noll founded it a century ago. Now as much as ever the Church needs prayerful, charitable, intelligent, articulate, informed Catholics to transform that little piece of the world over which God has given them influence.

Last, but certainly not least, I will miss engaging with you OSV Newsweekly readers who have flooded my mailbox and email with personal stories, questions, suggestions, comments, compliments — and even welcome constructive criticism. You have helped my team and me to make this a stronger newspaper — which has been and remains our goal week after week.

I regret not being able to have a role to play in the newsweekly’s future successes. But now I come around from the other side of the editor’s desk to join you, and with all the other OSV Newsweekly readers, we’ll be keeping a watchful eye on our Catholic newspaper.

Thank you to all who in one way or another made this experience so blessed, for me and for my family.

The search is on for a new editor, and hopefully won’t require too much time. In the meantime, though, you can stay in touch with OSV at feedback@osv.com. God bless!